Railway-switch.



G. M. THOMPSON.

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V ATTORNEY PATENTED MAR. 13, 1906.

PATENTED MAR. 13, 1906. M. THOMPSON.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

APPLIOATIQH FILED AUG. 3, 1905.

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ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIGE. GUY M. THOMPSON, or SEATTLE,WASHINGTON, nsslenon or one- FOURTH TO CHARLES SrFOLLETT, or SEATTLE,WASHINGTON.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

Patented March 13, 1906.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GUY M. THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Wash ington,have invented certain. new and useful Improvements in Railway- Switches,of

which the following is a specification, refering the front end of a car,and Fig. 3 is atransverse sectional view. 4

This invention relates to improvements in railway-switch-operatmgmechanlsm, and its principal object is the provision ofelectrically-actuated devices whereby switches may be operatedpredeterminately from" an approaching car; and a further object of the1nvention is the provision of automatic means for indicating the open orclosed condition of the track. [I attain these ends by the novelconstruction, disposition, and adaptation of electrical and mechanicaldevices, as will be hereinafter fully described, and particularl pointedout in the appended claims. a

In the said drawings the reference-numerals 1 and 2 designate themain-track rails, 3 and 4 the switch-rails, and 5 the vibratoryswitch-tongue, all of which are of ordinary or suitable construction.

Rigidly connected to or formed integral with the tongue is an arm 6,extending downwardly between the cores 7 7 of .two electromagnets 8 8and'forming an armature therefor. Thewinding-wires of these magnets areres ectively connected by conducting ends 9 an 9- with contact-plates 10and 10, embedded in the ground, preferably between the track-rails atsome distance from the I switch, and having their upper surfaces, eX

' other of the contact-makers or brush devices carried by the car andrespectively positioned thereon in the same longitudinal planes with thesaid contact-plates and being connected by Wires with the trolley-lineand with the trackthese contact-makers each consist of a vertical bar13, comprised of two parts, which are hinged together by a pivot 14, andadjacent thereto 'upon each such bar parts forwardly and rearwardlyprotruding arms 15 are provided to receive interposed helical springs16, which act to flexibly maintain the axes of the two parts of the barin the same line. The purpose of thus providing the bars with a hingeconnection 1s to furnish means whereby the lower parts may be tiltedrearwardly in the event of their encountering some obstacle intheir-path and permit their readily passing thereover. I I

The brush 17, carried upon the lower end of each two-part bar, isnormally held out of contact with the plate 10 or 10, as the case maybe, by the provision of a helical spring 18 between a sleeve portion 19of a supportrail 2 through the car-wheel12. Specifically,

ing-bracket 19 and a collar 13,-fiXedly secured to the bar thereabove.The bracket 19 is formed or provided on a socket-plate 20, into whichthe top end of the upper part of the bar 13 extends, and removablyseated in the socket of each such'plate is the stud 21, I

terminating above the car-platform in an enlarged-flat head forming anextended bearing-surface, whereby the depression of the brush intooperative contact with the particular plate may beaccomplished by the footpressure'of the operator while the car is progressively moving towardthe switch. These tread-plates are made removable in order that they canbe used interchangeably at either end of a car, according to itsdirection of travel, and likewise to ,obviate all danger of the brushdevices at the rear end of the car being accidentally moved intooperative poto indicate the condition of the switch and consist ofsupplemental circuits which are directly and positively made or brokenby the movement of the depending. arm-6. These supplemental circuitsinclude two incandescent lamps L L, one being appropriated to eachposition of the switch-tongue, so as to indicate whether the switch isopen or closed as to the main track. The circuits now being consideredcomprise conducting- 5 wires A A, leading from the trolley-line andterminating in contact-points a a, disposed upon opposite sides of thearm 6, and a conducting-wire A common to both the lastnamed circuits,which connects the rail 2 with a make-and-break conductor-link B.

The latter passes through an insulating-bushing 0 of said arm, and thesethree parts are so connected as to move as a. single piece.

When the switch-tongue is shifted from one side to the other, it is aparent that the link B will be moved to simu taneously illuminate one orthe other of the said lamps, thus reliably and automatically indicatingthe condition of the switch.

The electric and mechanical parts of the invention are inclosed within asuitable casing E, which may advantageously be provided with adetachable cover (not shown) to give ready access to the interior forinspect z 5 ing, adjusting, or renewing the contained mechanism, and theterminals (1 a would be held by binding-posts, as f, connected to orformed in said casing.

The invention is extremely simple and ac- 0 complishes in a veryefiicient manner the several functions intended, and, too, withoutresortin to the use of a multiplicity of parts, such as Tevers or thelike, wherewith it is difficult to maintain a suitable adjustment of 3 5the parts or prevent their entire derangement.

I do not wish to confine myself in carrying out my invention to the useof lamps alone, as during daylight semaphores may be used in theirstead, if deemed desirable. The explanation of the manner of connectingup the amps will, it is thought, be sufficient to enable others toreplace the same with the semaphores controlled by electromagnets.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to securebyLetters Patent, is-

1. In a railwayswitch, the combination with two electromagnetic switchmoving mechanisms normally in incomplete circuits and two supplementalelectric circuits, of a contact-maker for each electromagnetic circuit,said contact-maker severally comprised of a barformed of twopivotally-connected parts, a brush carried on the lower of said parts,two helical springs interposed between lateral arms provided on therespective 'said bar parts and tending to maintain them in axialalinement with each other, a helical spring acting to elevate saidcontact-maker, a removable pressure-plate adapted to operatively engagesaid bar, and a bracket-support for the bar provided with a socket forthe reception of the upper end of the bar and a stud provided on saidpressureplate.

2. In an electrically-operated switch, the combination with thetrackrails and a tongue having a depending bar, of two 0011- tact-platespositioned at some distance from the switch and respectively forming theterminals of two incomplete electric circuits, an electromagnet includedin each such circuit and disposed at opposite sides of said bar, aninsulated rod extending through the lower end of said depending bar andforming a terminal of two other electric circuits having their otherterminals respectively disposed upon opposite sides of said rod,incandescent lamps included in the last-named circuits, and meanscarried by a car whereby either of said electromagnets may bepredeterminately engaged to accomplish a movement of said switch-tongueand simultaneously light the corresponding of said lamps.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GUY M. THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

PIERRE BARNES, H. A. TRUMBULL.

